State govt. delaying recruitment due to funds crunch, says Shashil Namoshi

Member of the Legislative Council Shashil G. Namoshi on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress-led State government saying that its claims of “1,000 days of achievement” ring hollow in the face of 2.84 lakh vacant posts across 43 departments in the State.

Addressing a press conference in Kalaburagi on Tuesday, Mr. Namoshi accused the State government of failing to address mounting vacancies and delaying recruitment on the pretext of internal reservation.

He said that 2,84,881 posts are lying vacant in 43 departments. Of these, 1.02 lakh posts are vacant in various Boards and Corporations, while around 40,000 posts remain unfilled in the seven districts of the Kalyana Karnataka region.

Providing a department-wise break-up, he said that 93,293 posts are vacant in the Education sector, including 79,694 in Primary and Secondary Education and 13,599 in Higher Education.

As many as 37,572 posts are vacant in the Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education Departments, 28,188 in the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, 10,867 posts in the Revenue Department and 10,504 posts in the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department.

Mr. Namoshi said that the State government is delaying appointments due to a lack of funds and its inability to bear the salary burden. In the last two-and-a-half years of governance under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, he said, only 11,238 posts have been notified and 8,157 candidates recruited.

He, however, said that even these 8,157 appointments are now embroiled in litigation due to issues related to internal reservation with cases pending before courts.

He clarified that the BJP is not opposed to internal reservation but it has advised the State government to proceed with recruitment as per the earlier roster system until legal hurdles are resolved, instead of citing internal reservation as a reason for delay.

He contended that the State government has made an attempt to mask financial constraints by postponing recruitment and is now embarrassed after the High Court directed it to proceed with the appointment process by implementing the earlier 50% reservation roster system.

He demanded that the State government draw up a time-bound action plan to fill all vacant posts as per the earlier roster system and particularly, expedite recruitment to posts in the Kalyana Karnataka region in accordance with Article 371(J) without citing the need for Finance Department approval.

He urged the State government to prioritise immediate appointments to improve the quality of public services and provide employment opportunities to youth, instead of attributing delays to internal reservation issues.